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R J Pary

Publications and source records attributed to R J Pary.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Towards defining adequate lithium trials for individuals with mental retardation and mental illness.

Lithium has been recommended for some psychiatric conditions and/or behavior disturbances in patients with mental retardation. Components of an adequate clinical trial were described here and case studies and double-blind cases reviewed. Based on existing data, there are few guidelines for the use of lithium with this population. Of the various indicators for lithium, the most solid are for aggression, although the type of aggression is not specified: (a) achieve a serum concentration of at least 0.5 mEq/1 to 1.0 mEq/1 unless the patient responds or trial-ending side effects appear and (b) treat for 6 to 8 weeks before concluding that the patient will not respond.

Aggression↗
PubMed1988

Communication difficulty of patients with schizophrenia and physical illness.

Our study was done to determine whether patients with schizophrenia and a coexisting physical disorder could adequately discuss the physical illness with a physician. We defined the minimal standard of adequate communication as the ability to acknowledge and name a physical problem during an index hospitalization. Of the 110 patients studied, 38 had a total of 54 medical illnesses (diabetes mellitus, hyponatremia, thyroid disorder, urinary tract infection, bladder dysfunction, hypertension, anemia, liver disorder, and seizure disorder). After two years of follow-up, 28 of these 38 patients agreed to participate in the second part of the study. Upon interview, 24 patients were unable to name at least one of their physical problems. This study reproduces the previous findings of psychiatric patients' difficulty in communicating about physical illness. It suggests that the communication difficulty is constant and not lessened in the nonacute situation.

Communication↗